Jonte Green is good, but he made a few mistakes that were expected , but I like the kid . I was saying when we drafted Bill he was going to be a beast , and then Berry does what he does and he gets his time to shine , it was meant to be . ST was looking pathetic , and you would think that guys would go hard on ST cause that is where you can make a name for yourself, but they let plays happen ..

Overall I was impressed by the team until the 4th , it's like they packed it away and felt like they didnt have to keep playing hard and the Browns came and stole the game . I liked Bell hard running , good vision, same for K.Smith he's headed for a breakout year , and with the a nice stable behind him , this is going to be an exciting year I feel fellas . Oh and the penalties as well , that was a GREAT thing , we didnt pick up our 1st one until the 3rd ? I'm not sure, but liked what I saw none the less overall .

August 11th, 2012, 12:53 pm

njroar

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 2833

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

And the penalty we picked up was a phantom tackle out of bounds where Silva whiffed lol. I forget who said it on twitter but it was "I thought you actually had to hit someone for it to be a late hit"

August 11th, 2012, 1:21 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10019Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

I didn't get to watch most of the first half, but saw a decent amount of the second half.

Jonte Green needs some work, and so does Bentley. Both did pretty decently for their first game, but come regular season things aren't as easy.

Joique Bell looks better than any other RB that played. Great vision, patient, decent burst and he always fell forward fighting for extra yards. I wouldn't mind seeing him make this team if the season started tomorrow. Keiland Williams didn't impress me all that much, but he did OK.

The receivers didn't help out Moore at all. Too many drops. Terrance Tolliver might as well pack his stuff. That drop was ridiculous.

Defensively I liked the way Ronnell Lewis made the big stop on the try for 2 by the Browns. He made a good read and went right to the ball carrier. Doug Hogue didn't impress me with his play. He needs to be more consistent. Carmen Messina was all over the field. Wish I knew what his responsibilities were on certain plays. I couldn't tell if he was taken out of it and came back to make the tackle, or if he was not the responsible gap filler, but busted his butt to make the play.

Nobody else really stood out for me.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

August 12th, 2012, 9:14 pm

kdsberman

Team MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3419Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Watching it for my first time last night, one thing I noticed is Suh looking in top form. He seemed to overpower everyone he went up against.

Fairley looked good, but he doesnt seem to have that same raw power that Suh does, but thats not necessarily a bad thing.

Willie Young, really liked him. Though hes not a Jared Allen, I really dont see a big dropoff between him and Avril. One thing he did great in that game is he NEVER stops.

I actually was pretty impressed by Kevin Smith. He seemed to find ways to gain that extra yard or two.

These are just a few things I noticed before I started falling asleep. Gonna watch a little more today.

I like the play off all the rookies. Bentley show a great break on the ball a couple a times. Reiff looks solid against 2nd team pplayers. made some very solid blocks. all of our defensive ends look nasty again even without the starters.

_________________2013 Lionbacker Fantasy Football Champion

August 13th, 2012, 9:34 am

The Legend

Off. Coordinator – Joe Lombardi

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 4026Location: WSU

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Quote:

Watching it for my first time last night, one thing I noticed is Suh looking in top form. He seemed to overpower everyone he went up against.

suh had a good game but alex mack did a good job blocking him one on one

Quote:

Fairley looked good, but he doesnt seem to have that same raw power that Suh does, but thats not necessarily a bad thing.

fairley looked very good actually and so did fluellen. fairley isnt as strong as suh but he seems to be quicker.

Quote:

Willie Young, really liked him. Though hes not a Jared Allen, I really dont see a big dropoff between him and Avril. One thing he did great in that game is he NEVER stops.

young had a great game no question about it but he needs to learn to close down the gaps on the off tackle runs.

Quote:

I actually was pretty impressed by Kevin Smith. He seemed to find ways to gain that extra yard or two.

i think smith will be the no 1 back as long as he is healthy. surprised that stephfon green didnt get any reps he must not be very impressive in practive or he s dinged up. bryant the FB looked ok but the Lions were still using Heller as the FB with the first team.

August 13th, 2012, 11:08 am

njroar

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 2833

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Green injured his knee. He might stay on pup or IR depending on how it progresses.

August 13th, 2012, 11:24 am

wjb21ndtown

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Having been at the game I can say:

1) I thought our safetys looked absolutely horrible in coverage. Delmas is bad, everyone else is way, way worse. They played ok when they came up into the box, but out in coverage they looked God awful. A better Qb will expose us deep regularly.

2) While Bentley had a nice pick, and another close pick, he didn't "break well on the ball well" as some have suggested, he totally sold out and broke on the WRs move. A double move would have left him and his shoes on the spot. He's going to get exposed if he doesn't correct that part of his game, and probably sooner than later.

Also, he was beat and beat BADLY on the long pass in the first Q. If the Qb had thrown a better ball not taking the WR out of bounds, it would have been a TD. I think he's playing better than a 3rd round pick, and I'm excited to have him, but I don't think he's as polished as some on here seem to believe.

3) Phuck Cliff Avril - I stand by all of my earlier comments about our DL being fine without him, and we should have dealt him prior to the draft.

Concerns - I'm concerned about the Stafford int. Most on here think he's going to make much needed progress when he's blitzed, but that pick wasn't exactly encouraging. I realize that it's only the first pre-season game, but player maturity is something that's generally shown early on. That was not only a horrible throw, but a horrible decision. If we're going to get double digit wins this year, he's going to have to beat the blitz regularly.

Suh - his awareness concerns me some. Numerous times he ran right by the Rb looking for the Qb. I still think he's has the potential to be great, but I was hoping to see some of his prior mistakes melt away. I was looking for more of a complete player out of him this season, but he seemed to be handled pretty well by Alex Mack and he didn't seem to read plays very well.

Reiff - I thought Reiff looked good. I think he struggles a little with his technique and his transition from "planting himself" to back peddling. I think the speed of the NFL has caused him to need more precision in that transition, and he's struggling a little with it right now. That said, his personality, and athleticism seem much more in line with being a great OLman than someone like Backus.

*** A little fun fact - My cousin was the Captain of the GVSU football team years ago. He was coached under Brian Kelly (ND Coach), and knows a few people in the NFL. All that really means nothing, but Rieff got him first row tickets to the game on Friday. I have to get the news on why/how he got them from him, but I may be able to get some first hand info throughout the season as to what's going on with our OL.

August 13th, 2012, 1:15 pm

kdsberman

Team MVP

Joined: February 20th, 2007, 10:51 pmPosts: 3419Location: Saginaw, MI

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Having been at the game I can say:

1) I thought our safetys looked absolutely horrible in coverage. Delmas is bad, everyone else is way, way worse. They played ok when they came up into the box, but out in coverage they looked God awful. A better Qb will expose us deep regularly.

2) While Bentley had a nice pick, and another close pick, he didn't "break well on the ball well" as some have suggested, he totally sold out and broke on the WRs move. A double move would have left him and his shoes on the spot. He's going to get exposed if he doesn't correct that part of his game, and probably sooner than later.

Also, he was beat and beat BADLY on the long pass in the first Q. If the Qb had thrown a better ball not taking the WR out of bounds, it would have been a TD. I think he's playing better than a 3rd round pick, and I'm excited to have him, but I don't think he's as polished as some on here seem to believe.

3) Phuck Cliff Avril - I stand by all of my earlier comments about our DL being fine without him, and we should have dealt him prior to the draft.

Concerns - I'm concerned about the Stafford int. Most on here think he's going to make much needed progress when he's blitzed, but that pick wasn't exactly encouraging. I realize that it's only the first pre-season game, but player maturity is something that's generally shown early on. That was not only a horrible throw, but a horrible decision. If we're going to get double digit wins this year, he's going to have to beat the blitz regularly.

Suh - his awareness concerns me some. Numerous times he ran right by the Rb looking for the Qb. I still think he's has the potential to be great, but I was hoping to see some of his prior mistakes melt away. I was looking for more of a complete player out of him this season, but he seemed to be handled pretty well by Alex Mack and he didn't seem to read plays very well.

Reiff - I thought Reiff looked good. I think he struggles a little with his technique and his transition from "planting himself" to back peddling. I think the speed of the NFL has caused him to need more precision in that transition, and he's struggling a little with it right now. That said, his personality, and athleticism seem much more in line with being a great OLman than someone like Backus.

*** A little fun fact - My cousin was the Captain of the GVSU football team years ago. He was coached under Brian Kelly (ND Coach), and knows a few people in the NFL. All that really means nothing, but Rieff got him first row tickets to the game on Friday. I have to get the news on why/how he got them from him, but I may be able to get some first hand info throughout the season as to what's going on with our OL.

I agree with some of your notes from the game, however I dont think "being at the game" makes you see players any better and have better opinions on them. Maybe the safeties and CBs.

Im not too concerned about Stafford INT. Though no interception is good, im not too worried.

I think you're probably right about our safeties play and how it could hurt us badly, but a normal concern around here is our RB situation. From what I saw from Kevin Smith and a few others, I dont think it will hurt us that much. Those guys will be back anyway, but if it came down to KS and Keiland, i think we would be OK.

Watching a little more of the game, I was impressed by Ronnel Lewis and some of his pas rushing skills.

Jason Fox, at least on the plays i watched him on, seemed ok but the quick DE's are what scare me about him.

Looking forward to this weeks game against Baltimore to see what kind of consistency this team has.

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10019Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Re: Stafford pick

I remember reading an article a year or two ago by a coach or former QB (can't remember which) who said that there are times in the pre-season where a quarterback throws a ball he likely would never throw in the regular season, and he does it for a reason. It is to confirm if what he was reading from the defense is correct. Better for the team that he throws the pick now and understands and confirms that what he thought was going to happen actually does, than risking it in a game that counts.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a possible explanation for Stafford making such a mistake that we didn't really see out of him during the regular season in 2011.

As for the safety play, I am in complete agreement. We need a coverage safety in a bad way. Almost all the guys we have back there are more of a traditional strong safety than a strong coverage guy. If Chris Greenwood can make the transition, I'd love to see what he could do as a safety. It is said he is pretty good in coverage, and he has the size to man the position. Let's hope he gets over his abdominal strain soon and can take part in a game or two.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

August 14th, 2012, 12:03 pm

thelomasbrowns

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2431

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

m2karateman wrote:

Re: Stafford pick

I remember reading an article a year or two ago by a coach or former QB (can't remember which) who said that there are times in the pre-season where a quarterback throws a ball he likely would never throw in the regular season, and he does it for a reason. It is to confirm if what he was reading from the defense is correct. Better for the team that he throws the pick now and understands and confirms that what he thought was going to happen actually does, than risking it in a game that counts.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a possible explanation for Stafford making such a mistake that we didn't really see out of him during the regular season in 2011.

I read that Pettigrew simply ran the wrong route.

_________________"There were a couple times where I was just like, 'Is that legal?" Warford said. "Cause he was getting laid out. I was like, 'Someone might call the cops. This is not fair.'"

August 14th, 2012, 12:26 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9589Location: Dallas

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

thelomasbrowns wrote:

m2karateman wrote:

Re: Stafford pick

I remember reading an article a year or two ago by a coach or former QB (can't remember which) who said that there are times in the pre-season where a quarterback throws a ball he likely would never throw in the regular season, and he does it for a reason. It is to confirm if what he was reading from the defense is correct. Better for the team that he throws the pick now and understands and confirms that what he thought was going to happen actually does, than risking it in a game that counts.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a possible explanation for Stafford making such a mistake that we didn't really see out of him during the regular season in 2011.

I read that Pettigrew simply ran the wrong route.

I only watched the game once and didn't replay any parts as of yet - preseason games are just too ugly. It looked to me that Pettigrew didn't make the right adjustment on the route - Staff might have also been throwing off his backfoot with a little pressure up the middle.

Remember when Joey Harrington would look pretty good in the first preseason game - lets not read much into this.

I remember reading an article a year or two ago by a coach or former QB (can't remember which) who said that there are times in the pre-season where a quarterback throws a ball he likely would never throw in the regular season, and he does it for a reason. It is to confirm if what he was reading from the defense is correct. Better for the team that he throws the pick now and understands and confirms that what he thought was going to happen actually does, than risking it in a game that counts.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a possible explanation for Stafford making such a mistake that we didn't really see out of him during the regular season in 2011.

stafford made the same mistake wk 1 vs tampa bay in 2011 went for a pick 6 to talib. he also made similar mistakes in the road bears game. i was at the game and also saw the tv telecast via DVR. Live it really looked like Stafford saw the pressure (Backus getting beat inside) and hurried the throw off his back foot. The pressure didnt seem as bad on the DVR but still Stafford threw off his back foot, indicating he was rushing. Pettigrew was nowhere near the ball so I still think it was bc of pressure. Rob Rubick said that Pettigrew broke the wrong way but he really faked outside and cut inside - ie Pettigrew didnt actually go the wrong way. Rather the timing was off bw Pett and Stafford and it was bc Stafford made a sloppy rushed throw bc there was pressure. I love Stafford but I agree with WJB that he isnt so great under pressure. This is an area where he can improve. Stafford s strenghts IMO are no 1) reading the defense pre snap and getting the ball out extremely quickly 2) executing the called play and making audibles on the LOS 3) when all else is failing he has major confidence in his receivers and knows his personnel namely Calvin Johnson. When the play breaks down however he has two moves - one is muscling it to Calvin which usually works but the other is making sloppy back footed throws to avoid contact which almost never works. Occassionally he scrambles and has decent foot speed but seems to not know the proper escape routes out of the pocket.

Quote:

As for the safety play, I am in complete agreement. We need a coverage safety in a bad way. Almost all the guys we have back there are more of a traditional strong safety than a strong coverage guy. If Chris Greenwood can make the transition, I'd love to see what he could do as a safety. It is said he is pretty good in coverage, and he has the size to man the position. Let's hope he gets over his abdominal strain soon and can take part in a game or two

the starting safeties werent really tested much in this past game so i dont think we as fans really know how good or bad they are doing yet. delmas gave up less than 200 yards receiving last season so in my book thats pretty damn good. hopefully we have him back and he can keep healthy. spievey on the hand, im not so sure we get him back as he stated that he has postsconcussion headaches every day. even if you love delmas and expect him to be healthy (i know im one of the few) that still leaves one safety spot that needs to get filled.

im not sure we'll know much more this preseason with Baltimore/Oakland and there mediocre passing threats. Maybe we ll learn more against Oakland as they at least have some speed guys but the Lions dont have a preseason test that will be anything like trying to cover Jennings/Nelson/Cobb/Marshall/Harvin in the division. There just isnt a receiver of that caliber on any of the preseason opponents and I dont count Buffalo's Steve Johnson bc the 4th preseason game is worthless. The Lions best test right now is how well Wendling/Coleman/Jones/Silva do vs Calvin/Titus/Burleson in practice. they may even be able to scrape by the 1st 4 weeks of the schedule w STL/SF/TEN/MIN not being overly intimidating passing matchups but after they bye week comes some trouble.

id love to see greenwood make an impact somewhere, he s even needed at corner where J Green doesnt look at all ready and with A Smith we all know he s a gambler that gets embarrassed a lil too often. Mayhew has got to be at least considering doing some wheeling and dealing bc this secondary has lost more than he anticipated when he plotted his offseason. Aaron Berry - starting corner gone, Amari Spievey - recurrent concussions possibly gone?, Delmas - repeat knee injury. All of a sudden we re down 3 starters and the best backups are special teams guys and rookies...

August 14th, 2012, 1:48 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2312Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

The Legend wrote:

Quote:

I remember reading an article a year or two ago by a coach or former QB (can't remember which) who said that there are times in the pre-season where a quarterback throws a ball he likely would never throw in the regular season, and he does it for a reason. It is to confirm if what he was reading from the defense is correct. Better for the team that he throws the pick now and understands and confirms that what he thought was going to happen actually does, than risking it in a game that counts.

I'm not saying that was the case, but it's a possible explanation for Stafford making such a mistake that we didn't really see out of him during the regular season in 2011.

stafford made the same mistake wk 1 vs tampa bay in 2011 went for a pick 6 to talib. he also made similar mistakes in the road bears game. i was at the game and also saw the tv telecast via DVR. Live it really looked like Stafford saw the pressure (Backus getting beat inside) and hurried the throw off his back foot. The pressure didnt seem as bad on the DVR but still Stafford threw off his back foot, indicating he was rushing. Pettigrew was nowhere near the ball so I still think it was bc of pressure. Rob Rubick said that Pettigrew broke the wrong way but he really faked outside and cut inside - ie Pettigrew didnt actually go the wrong way. Rather the timing was off bw Pett and Stafford and it was bc Stafford made a sloppy rushed throw bc there was pressure. I love Stafford but I agree with WJB that he isnt so great under pressure. This is an area where he can improve. Stafford s strenghts IMO are no 1) reading the defense pre snap and getting the ball out extremely quickly 2) executing the called play and making audibles on the LOS 3) when all else is failing he has major confidence in his receivers and knows his personnel namely Calvin Johnson. When the play breaks down however he has two moves - one is muscling it to Calvin which usually works but the other is making sloppy back footed throws to avoid contact which almost never works. Occassionally he scrambles and has decent foot speed but seems to not know the proper escape routes out of the pocket.

Quote:

As for the safety play, I am in complete agreement. We need a coverage safety in a bad way. Almost all the guys we have back there are more of a traditional strong safety than a strong coverage guy. If Chris Greenwood can make the transition, I'd love to see what he could do as a safety. It is said he is pretty good in coverage, and he has the size to man the position. Let's hope he gets over his abdominal strain soon and can take part in a game or two

the starting safeties werent really tested much in this past game so i dont think we as fans really know how good or bad they are doing yet. delmas gave up less than 200 yards receiving last season so in my book thats pretty damn good. hopefully we have him back and he can keep healthy. spievey on the hand, im not so sure we get him back as he stated that he has postsconcussion headaches every day. even if you love delmas and expect him to be healthy (i know im one of the few) that still leaves one safety spot that needs to get filled.

im not sure we'll know much more this preseason with Baltimore/Oakland and there mediocre passing threats. Maybe we ll learn more against Oakland as they at least have some speed guys but the Lions dont have a preseason test that will be anything like trying to cover Jennings/Nelson/Cobb/Marshall/Harvin in the division. There just isnt a receiver of that caliber on any of the preseason opponents and I dont count Buffalo's Steve Johnson bc the 4th preseason game is worthless. The Lions best test right now is how well Wendling/Coleman/Jones/Silva do vs Calvin/Titus/Burleson in practice. they may even be able to scrape by the 1st 4 weeks of the schedule w STL/SF/TEN/MIN not being overly intimidating passing matchups but after they bye week comes some trouble.

id love to see greenwood make an impact somewhere, he s even needed at corner where J Green doesnt look at all ready and with A Smith we all know he s a gambler that gets embarrassed a lil too often. Mayhew has got to be at least considering doing some wheeling and dealing bc this secondary has lost more than he anticipated when he plotted his offseason. Aaron Berry - starting corner gone, Amari Spievey - recurrent concussions possibly gone?, Delmas - repeat knee injury. All of a sudden we re down 3 starters and the best backups are special teams guys and rookies...

Stafford throws/completes more throws off his back foot than anyone in the league so I'm OK with the throw. I thought it was a bad route by Pett and just general rust on our offense. But I do agree that he needs to get better under presssure.

And yes, if the running game improves than safety play is the only thing keeping us from elite status. Silva might be our best safety right now. I'd like to see this get exploited more in preseason

_________________Matthew Stafford is the only player in NFL history who is allowed to smoke cigarettes in the team huddle. He just chooses not to

August 14th, 2012, 4:45 pm

njroar

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 2833

Re: GAME DAY THREAD: Lions vs. Browns (Preseason Game 1)

Don't read too much into the pick. Pett didn't make the cut fast, but Staff and Pett also don't have their timing down like him and CJ. With that pressure coming, I'd rather see a rushed ball for a pick than a sack in preseason. We don't need Matt getting hurt.

Spievey was having headaches, so they kept him out precautionary. I think they wanted to get Coleman and Wendling more playing time anyway. Amari was back at practice the next day, so he should play this week.